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Sunday, October 23, 2016

The 5 Limited Edition Releases I Just Purchased & My Honest Review On Them

1. Quay x Desi Perkins High Key Blue/Silver Edition

Buying Process
Okay these bad boys were seriously a most wanted item when they came out in the Rose Gold Edition & Black Edition but I don't think Quay even knew how much craziness was surrounding the release of the Sapphire Blue & Silver pair.

The buying process was crazy. The release time was 2am for Australia which was a little weird considering they're a AUS based company so I thought we would have gotten the better release time over America. The glasses also sold out prior to the 2am release time. I was unaware that they were available until at 2am when I hit refresh it stated they were sold out. For 45 minutes I waited for someone to slip up and remove them from their cart. When I finally got to add them to my cart I was jumping for joy!

My top tip: be on the website in advance as for some reason they were available to purchase before the release time.Shipping Time
This was definitely one item that didn't run smoothly. My parcel had a processing time of only 2 days and was sent off on the second day straight away which was amazing considering the amount of chaos surrounding the encore launch. Because I had 2 different orders placed 14minutes apart, the gold and blue glasses got sent separately. My gold pair arrived on the Friday after being sent on the Monday however my blue pair was lost in transit and had its tracking details remain the same for over a week.

Quay was great though and they helped me open up a case. I had to wait 5 business days before they were able to send a new pair out. They also provided me with a 40% off code for my next shop which I thought was really really nice.

I didn't actually end up receiving a pair from Quay as I had to cancel the order because by the time it was sorted, they had been released from other retailers so I bought another pair from StyleSquad.com. Shipping from this site was next day and I received them without any issues!Packaging
My glasses arrived from Style Squad in perfect condition. The surprising thing was that when I ordered from Quay and received my Gold ones I received no cute little note, however the Blue ones from Style Squad arrived with a cute business card and discount code for my next purchase. They came packaged in a clip seal bag with the glasses case tucked securely behind the arm frames.First Impression
The Sapphire Blue is absolutely stunning! I already own a pair of the Rose Gold so I know how amazing the style, detailing and finish is of them however the Blue really made them a stand out item.

Overall Rating

6.5/10

2. Anastasia Beverly Hills x Make Up By Mario Master Palette

Buying Process

I was super weary going into this launch. I knew that the hype surrounding this palette would cause serious website traffic. The Anastasia website actually held up really well though. The first 5 minutes were touch and go as my internet struggled to load the webpages however someone on the backend must have kicked it up a gear and suddenly the webpages were flying.

I added the palette to my cart and there was no issue of it being stolen by someone else or the payment method failing. From adding it to cart, it was smooth sailing. The checkout process was super fast and I got an email confirmation almost immediately. There was also more than enough stock to go around which was nice, as I was hoping that I didn't have to unleash my internal killer that only pops out during Kylie launches.

Shipping Time

The shipping time on this baby was crazy. Anastasia had processed my order in under 1 day and had it sent off immediately. Considering the hype around this launch and how many orders they must have received internationally and domestically, this was crazy. I was honestly so impressed.

Fed Ex was also amazing too. It only took 5 days to get to me, including 2 weekend days, and there were no hassles or issues. They even rang me to ask for an alternate address as I had listed a PO Box. I have never had a company call me so quickly to fix a shipping address issue. Needless to say, Fed Ex & Anastasia received a very praising message from me!

Packaging

In true Anastasia Beverly Hills style, this Palette has it all. It has the mirror, the 12 perfect shades and a blending brush. Seriously what more could you want? I loved the colour theme as well. I thought the black and gold is a definite stand out and sums up Mario perfectly.

My one fault - even though it came with a mirror AND a brush - it didn't come with a cute thank you card. I love thank you cards as I find them so personal. Maybe I am just being a diva though!

First Impression & Colour Pay Off

Can I just say that when I heard that the almighty make up god & goddess were collaborating on a palette together, my heart literally stopped. I had such extremely high hopes for this palette - not only because Anastasia kills it in the eyeshadow game but because Mario slays Kimmy K like nothing I've ever seen before. The colour palette was stunning. I am so so nude obsessed and this palette seriously delivered. Plus it threw in some stunning navy blue & shimmer olive tones which just killed me. I'm not a colour person normally but when I saw this palette I was like "oh hell yes hunny, this will be mine".

The colour payoff is of course amazing. In true Anastasia style the mattes are creamy and pigmented and the shimmers shine like Kimmys diamond earring on the bottom of the Bora Bora sea.

Overall Rating

9.5/10

3. Huda Beauty Textured Shadows Rose Gold Edition Palette

Buying Process
No buying process compares to the process that Huda Beauty addicts worldwide had to go through in order to buy a palette. The release time for the palette was not confirmed due to the fact that everyone at Huda Beauty was so scared that the site would crash. And they were right. For nearly 3 days the website struggled to keep up with the overwhelming demand of people wanting to grab the palette.

I went through at least 4000 clicks of the refresh button and 20 Paypal check-out attempts before I managed to grab one. Just when I thought I had it in my cart, after waiting 10 minutes for each page to load, I would go to check out and get an error signal. Or I would checkout and then the website would say there was a payment time out. Then there was the "System Maintenance" page that popped up for 6 hours and the "Access Denied" page that popped up for 3 hours.

The launch was crazy and my heart really goes out to all the Huda Beauty beauties that worked around the clock to fix the site.

Shipping Time
The shipping was crazy. I ordered my Quay glasses 3 days before my Huda Palette and my Huda Palette still arrived first. It took 5 days to get to me from Dubai which included 2 weekend days. I've never had faster service in my life.

And even though I ordered during such a busy period, it only took 1 day for my order to be process and shipped. I have honestly never experienced a better shipping experience.Packaging
A cute card that doubled as stickers + to die for packaging = one happy customer. So much thought has obviously gone into the creation of the external and internal packaging and it's totally obvious. It is a stunning palette inside and out and well worth the $104 I spent on it! My one comment is that for $104AUD I would have loved to have had a mirror inside only because this palette is something that you can just grab and go and take with you anywhere. Besides that, it was perfect. It was securely packed as well and no damage was done in transit which was a blessing!First Impression & Colour Pay Off
Amazing, amazing, amazing. That's all I can say. If you want a palette that has creamy and pigmented mattes as well as shimmers that shine like the top of the Chrysler building then you need to get your hands on this palette!!Overall Rating
8/10

4. Violet Voss x Laura Lee Eyeshadow Palette

Buying Process
Surprisingly, I've never had a difficult experience with purchasing limited edition items off Beauty Bay except when they did a Make Up Geek 2 for 1 sale and every man and his dog lost their mind. This buying process was actually extremely easy which was a nice change considering I'd nearly thrown my computer off a cliff after the Huda release.Shipping Time

Beauty Bay can be very hit and miss with their delivery time. Their processing time was next day which I expected because this isn't the first time this limited edition palette has been released. Delivery did take a little while though and there was no tracking provided so I had to hope and pray that it didn't end up in Madagascar being tested out by the native Monkeys. My palette was sent out on the 5th October and I received it on the 17th October. It was fast considering some orders took up to 3 weeks to reach their owners!

Packaging
This palette was very thought out. When I heard about this collaboration I had a feeling as to what to expect. Laura Lee is definitely a cool girl - modern, sleek and sassy - so I knew that this palette would ooze her. I've never owned a Violet Voss palette before however I was super surprised when it arrived. It was wrapped in bubble wrap like it was a jewel from the queen and arrived in perfect condition.

I really do like the style of the palette as well. There's a mirror (huge tick from me) and also a lot of shades - 20 to be exact - which is super kind considering it only cost me $60AUD. The external packaging uses a white, black and silver colour theme which is super sleek and sassy and the internal packaging takes on board this theme however the palette itself is all black which I love. Black palettes are my favourite!First Impression & Colour Pay Off
When beauty gurus and lovers around the world said that the Violet Voss Palettes were amazing - they were not lying. The colour payoff on this bad boy is crazy. The shimmers. Oh the shimmers. They're buttery, they're pigmented, they're seriously amazing! And the mattes. Some matte shades in other palettes can be hit and miss, but not this one. Oh no. These mattes are some of the best mattes I've seen in a very long time.

And the pigmentation. Do I even need to tell you they're amazing?Overall Rating
9.5/10

5. Anastasia Beverly Hills Ultimate Glow Highlighter Palette

Buying Process
The launch of this palette of goodness is identical to the Mario Palette because I got them at the same time! It was slow at first but not once did the website crash! *thank the make up Gods*Shipping Time
Just like the Mario Palette, this bad boy came in record time. Again super impressed with Anastasia's ability to process the order so fast at such a peak time and also super impressed with Fed Ex's ability to get it to me in record time!Packaging
I've never owned an Anastasia Glow Kit, so when the chance came to grab one, I had to get the limited edition one. The packaging on this Glow Kit is different to the others. There's more shades and they're also more generous. I love the gold exterior with the black writing and I especially love the dark background on the inside. It's perfect if you're a little messy and like to highlight your entire life.

Again a little note or something cute would have been nice, but again I'm just being picky.First Impression & Colour Pay Off
Lets talk about the variety first. You have a white based shade, champagne shades, bronzy shades, pink toned shades AND yellow toned shades. I mean HELLO, you could highlight the entire population of the universe. It's very versatile and it's also extremely pigmented and creamy. The colour pay off is to die for.

Uh huh honey.Overall Rating
9/10

Xo

Disclaimer: I do not own any featured business or personal names. All pictures except the Quay Glasses are owned and copyrighted by Monique Glasby Blog 2016. All original content is Copyright Monique Glasby 2016